Scam emails are getting better at looking official. This one claims to be an urgent warning from Microsoft about your email account. It looks serious. It feels time sensitive. And that is exactly the point. Lily reached out after something about the message did not sit right.

“I need help with an email that I’m unsure is valid. Hoping you can help me determine whether this is a valid or a scam. I have attached two screenshots below. Thank you in advance,” Lily wrote.

Here is the important takeaway up front. This email is not from Microsoft. It is a scam designed to rush you into clicking a dangerous link.

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WHY CLICKING THE WRONG COPILOT LINK COULD PUT YOUR DATA AT RISK

Why this Microsoft ‘Important Mail’ email is a scam

Once you slow down and read it closely, the red flags pile up quickly.

A generic greeting

It opens with “Dear User.” Microsoft uses your name. Scammers avoid it because they do not know who you are.

A hard deadline meant to scare you

The message claims your email access will stop on Feb. 5, 2026. Scammers rely on fear and urgency to short-circuit good judgment.

A completely wrong sender address

The email came from accountsettinghelp20@aol.com. Microsoft does not send security notices from AOL. Ever.

Pushy link language

“PROCEED HERE” is designed to trigger a fast click. Microsoft messages sent to you to are clearly labeled Microsoft.com pages.

Fake legal language

Lines like “© 2026 All rights reserved” are often copied and pasted by scammers to look official.

Attachments that should not be there

Microsoft account alerts do not include image attachments. That alone is a major warning sign.

10 WAYS TO PROTECT SENIORS FROM EMAIL SCAMS

What would have happened if you clicked

If you clicked the link, you would almost certainly land on a fake Microsoft login page. From there, attackers aim to steal:

• Your email address
• Your password
• Access to other accounts tied to that email

Once they have your email, they can reset passwords, dig through old messages and launch more scams using your identity.

HACKERS ABUSE GOOGLE CLOUD TO SEND TRUSTED PHISHING EMAILS

What to do if this email lands in your inbox

If an email like this shows up, slow down and follow these steps in order. Each one helps stop the scam cold.

1) Do not click or interact at all

Do not click links, buttons or images. Do not reply. Even opening attachments can trigger tracking or malware. Strong antivirus software can block phishing pages, scan attachments and warn you about dangerous links before damage happens. Make sure yours is active and up to date. The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.

Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.

2) Delete the message immediately

Once it is reported, delete it. There is no reason to keep it in your inbox or trash.

3) Check your account the safe way

If you want peace of mind, open a new browser window and go directly to the official Microsoft account website. Sign in normally. If there is a real issue, it will appear there.

4) Change your password if you clicked

If you clicked anything or entered information, change your Microsoft password right away. Use a strong, unique password you do not use anywhere else. A password manager can generate and store it securely for you. Then review recent sign-in activity for anything suspicious.

Next, see if your email has been exposed in past breaches. Our No. 1 password manager pick includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email address or passwords have appeared in known leaks. If you discover a match, immediately change any reused passwords and secure those accounts with new, unique credentials.

Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2026 at Cyberguy.com.

5) Enable two-factor authentication

Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) for your Microsoft account. This adds a second check, which can stop attackers even if they get your password.

6) Use a data removal service for long-term protection

Scammers often find targets through data broker sites. A data removal service helps reduce how much personal information is publicly available, which lowers your exposure to phishing in the first place.

While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.

7) Report it as spam or phishing 

Use your email app’s built-in reporting tool. This helps train filters and protects other users from seeing the same scam.

Extra protection tips for real Microsoft notices

When Microsoft actually needs your attention, the signs look very different.

• Alerts appear inside your Microsoft account dashboard
• Messages do not demand immediate action through random email links
• Notices never come from free email services like AOL, Gmail or Yahoo

That contrast makes scams easier to spot once you know what to look for.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Scammers are counting on you being busy, distracted or worried about losing access to your email. That is why messages like this lean so hard on urgency. Your email sits at the center of your digital life, so attackers know a shutdown threat gets attention fast. The good news is that slowing down for even a few seconds changes everything. Lily did exactly the right thing by stopping and asking first. That single habit can prevent identity theft, account takeovers and a long, frustrating cleanup. Remember this rule. Emails that threaten shutdowns and demand immediate action are almost never legitimate. When something feels urgent, that is your cue to pause, verify on your own and never let an email rush you into a mistake.

Have you seen a fake Microsoft warning like this recently, or did it pretend to come from another brand you trust? Let us know your thoughts by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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ChatGPT users may soon start seeing ads in their chats, as OpenAI announced on Monday that it’s officially beginning to test ads on its AI platform. They’ll appear as labeled “sponsored” links at the bottom of ChatGPT answers, but OpenAI says the ads “do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives you.”

Currently, ads will only show up for users on the free version of ChatGPT or the lowest-cost $8 per month Go plan. Users in the Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education plans won’t see any ads, so anyone who wants to avoid them has to pay at least $20 per month for the Plus subscription. There is one loophole — OpenAI notes that users can “opt out of ads in the Free tier in exchange for fewer daily free messages.”

Users on the Go tier can’t opt out of seeing ads, but users on both the Free and Go plans can dismiss ads, share feedback on ads, turn off ad personalization, turn off the option for ads to be based on past chats, and delete their ad data. According to OpenAI, advertisers will only get data on “aggregated ad views and clicks,” not personalized data or content from users’ ChatGPT conversations.

Additionally, not all users and chats will be eligible for ads, including users under 18 and conversations on certain sensitive topics “like health, mental health or politics.” Even adult users on the chatbot’s Free and Go plans might not immediately start seeing ads, since the feature is still in testing.

A woman named Abigail believed she was in a romantic relationship with a famous actor. The messages felt real. The voice sounded right. The video looked authentic. And the love felt personal. 

By the time her family realized what was happening, more than $81,000 was gone — and so was the paid-off home she planned to retire in.

We spoke with Vivian Ruvalcaba on my “Beyond Connected” podcast about what happened to her mother and how quickly the scam unfolded. What began as online messages quietly escalated into financial ruin and the loss of a family home. Vivian is Abigail’s daughter. She is now her mother’s advocate, investigator, chief advocate and protector.

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FROM FRIENDLY TEXT TO FINANCIAL TRAP: THE NEW SCAM TREND

How the scam quietly started

The scam did not begin with a phone call or a threat. It began with a message. “Facebook is where it started,” Vivian explained. “She was directly messaged by an individual.” That individual claimed to be Steve Burton, a longtime star of “General Hospital.” Abigail watched the show regularly. She knew his face. She knew his voice.

After a short time, the conversation moved off Facebook. “He then led her to create an account with WhatsApp,” Vivian said. “When I discovered that, and I looked at the messaging, you can see all the manipulation.”

That shift mattered. This is a major red flag I often warn people about. When a scammer moves a conversation from a public platform like Facebook to an encrypted app like WhatsApp, it is usually deliberate and designed to avoid detection.

Grooming through secrecy and isolation

At first, Abigail told no one. “She was very, very secretive,” Vivian said. “She didn’t share any of this with anyone. Not my father. Not me.” 

That secrecy was not accidental. “She was being groomed not to share this information,” Vivian explained.

This is a tactic I see over and over again in scams like this. Once a scammer feels they have someone emotionally invested, the next step is to isolate them. They push victims to keep secrets and avoid talking to family, friends or police. When Vivian finally started asking questions, her mother reacted in a way she never had before. “She said, ‘It’s none of your business,’” Vivian said. “That was shocking.”

The deepfake video that changed everything

When Vivian threatened to go to the police, her mother finally revealed what had been happening. “That’s when she showed me the AI video,” Vivian said. In the clip, a man who looked and sounded like Steve Burton spoke directly to Abigail and referred to her as “Abigail, my queen.” The message felt personal. It used her name and promised love and reassurance.

“It wasn’t grainy,” Vivian said. “To the naked eye, you couldn’t tell.” Still, Vivian sensed something was off. “I looked at it, and I knew right away,” she said. “Mom, this is not real. This is AI.”

Her mother disagreed and argued back. She pointed to the face and the voice. She also believed the phone calls proved it. That is what makes deepfakes so dangerous. When a video looks and sounds real, it can override common sense and even years of trust within a family.

From gift cards to life savings

The money flowed slowly at first. A $500 gift card request raised the first alarm. Then, money orders and Zelle payments. What Vivian discovered next still haunts her. “She pulled out a sandwich baggie,” Vivian said. “About 110 gift cards ranging from $25 up to $500.” Those cards were purchased with credit cards. Cash was mailed. Bitcoin was sent. In total, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) tallied the losses at $81,000. And the scam was not finished.

When the scammer took her home

After draining Abigail’s available cash, the scam did not stop. It escalated again. The scammer began pushing her to sell the one asset she still had: her home. “He was pressing her to sell,” Vivian told me. “Because he wanted more money.” The pressure came wrapped in romance. The scammer told Abigail they would buy a beach house together and start a new life. In her mind, this was not a scam. It was a plan for the future. That belief set off a chain reaction.

How the home sale happened so quickly

Abigail sold her condo for $350,000, even though similar homes in the area were worth closer to $550,000 at the time. The sale happened quickly. There was no family involvement. Her husband was still living in the home, yet he did not sign the documents. “She just gave away about $200,000 in equity,” Vivian said. “They stole it.”

What makes this even more troubling is who bought the property. According to Vivian, the buyer was a wholesale real estate company that moved fast and asked very few questions. Messages later reviewed by the family show Abigail actively trying to hide the sale from her husband. In one text exchange, she warned the buyer not to park in the driveway because her husband had access to a Ring camera. That alone should have raised concerns. Instead, the buyers went along with it. “They appeased whatever she asked for,” Vivian said. “They were getting a property she was basically giving away.”

These buyers were not the original scammers, but they benefited from the pressure the scammer created. The scammer pushed Abigail to sell. The buyers took advantage of the situation and the deeply discounted price. The home was not extra money, it was Abigail’s retirement. It was the only real security she and her husband had after decades of work. By the time Vivian uncovered the sale, Abigail was days away from sending another $70,000 from the proceeds to the scammer. Had that transfer gone through, nearly everything would have been gone.

This is the part of the story people struggle to process. Modern AI-driven scams are no longer limited to draining bank accounts or gift cards. They now push victims into selling real property, often with opportunistic players waiting on the other side of the deal.

Why police and lawyers could not stop the damage

Vivian contacted the police the same day she realized her mother was being scammed. “They assigned an investigator,” she told me. “He was already very aware of the situation and how little they can help.” That reality is difficult for families to hear, but it is common. 

Many large-scale scams operate overseas. The money moves quickly through gift cards, wire transfers and crypto. By the time victims realize what is happening, the trail is often cold. “Most of these scammers are out of the country,” Vivian said. “No one is being held accountable.”

When the case shifted from criminal to civil

Law enforcement documented the losses and opened a case, but there was little they could do to recover the money or stop what had already happened. The deeper damage came from the home sale, which fell into a legal gray area far beyond a typical fraud report. Once the condo was sold, the situation shifted from a criminal scam to a complex civil fight.

Vivian immediately began searching for legal help. The first attorneys she contacted discouraged her. One told her it could cost more than $150,000 to pursue a case. Another failed to act even after being told about Abigail’s mental illness and history of bipolar disorder. At one point, an eviction attorney testified in court that Vivian never mentioned the romance scam, something she strongly disputes.

By March, Abigail and her husband were forced out of their home. By October, they were fully evicted and locked out. Both parents are now displaced. Abigail is living with family out of state. Her husband, now in his mid-70s, is still working because the home was his retirement. 

It was only after reaching out through personal connections that Vivian found an attorney willing to fight. That attorney is now pursuing the case on a contingency basis, meaning the family does not pay unless there is a recovery. The legal argument centers on Abigail’s mental capacity and whether she could legally understand and execute a home sale under the circumstances. The buyers dispute that claim. The outcome will be decided in court.

This is why stories like this rarely end with a police arrest or quick resolution. Once a scam crosses into real estate and civil law, families are often left to navigate an expensive and exhausting legal system on their own. And by then, the damage has already been done.

Why shame keeps scams hidden

Many victims never report scams. Only about 22% contact the FBI. Fewer than 30% reach out to their local police department. Vivian understands why that happens. “She’s ashamed,” Vivian said. “I know she is.” That shame protects scammers. Silence gives them room to move on and target the next victim.

INSIDE A SCAMMER’S DAY AND HOW THEY TARGET YOU

Red flags families cannot ignore

This case reveals warning signs every family needs to recognize early.

Red flags to watch for

• Sudden secrecy about finances or online activity
• Requests for gift cards, cash or crypto
• Pressure to move conversations to encrypted apps
• AI videos or voice messages used as proof of identity
• Emotional manipulation tied to urgency or romance
• Requests to sell property or move large assets

I want to be very clear about this. It does not matter how smart you are or how careful you think you are. You can become a victim and not realize it until it is too late.

Tips to stay safe and protect your family

These lessons come from both Vivian’s experience and the patterns I see repeatedly in modern scams. Some are emotional. Others are technical. Together, they can help families spot trouble sooner and limit the damage when something feels off.

1) Watch for platform changes

Moving a conversation from Facebook to WhatsApp or another encrypted app is not harmless. Scammers do this to avoid moderation and make messages harder to trace or flag.

2) Question AI proof

Deepfake videos and cloned voices can look and sound convincing. Never treat a video or voice message as proof of identity, especially when money or property is involved.

3) Slow down major financial decisions

Scammers create urgency on purpose. Any request involving large sums, property sales or retirement assets should pause until a trusted third party reviews it.

4) Never send gift cards, cash or crypto

Legitimate people do not ask for payment through gift cards or cryptocurrency. These methods are a common scam tactic because they are hard to trace and nearly impossible to recover.

5) Talk openly as a family

Silence helps scammers. Regular conversations about finances, online contacts and unusual requests make it easier to spot problems early and step in without shame.

6) Reduce online exposure with a data removal service

Scammers research their targets using public databases. They pull names, phone numbers, relatives and property records. Removing that data reduces how easily criminals can build a profile.

While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.

7) Use strong antivirus protection

Malware links can expose financial accounts without obvious signs. Good antivirus software can block malicious links before they lead to deeper access or data theft.

The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.

Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.

8) Protect assets early

Living trusts and proper estate planning add protection before a crisis hits. They can help prevent rushed property sales and limit who can legally move assets without oversight.

9) Use conservatorship when capacity is limited

“Conservatorship is the only way,” Vivian said. “Power of attorney may not be enough.” When a loved one has diminished capacity, a conservatorship adds court oversight and can stop unauthorized financial decisions before serious damage occurs.

Kurt’s key takeaways

This scam did not rely on sloppy emails or obvious mistakes. It used emotion, familiarity and AI that looked real. Once trust was built, the damage followed quickly. Money disappeared. Secrecy grew. Pressure increased. The home was sold. What makes this case especially painful is the speed. A few messages led to gift cards. Gift cards turned into life savings. Life savings became the loss of a home built over decades. Most families never expect this to happen. Many do not talk about it until it has already happened. The lesson is clear. Awareness matters more than intelligence. Open conversations matter more than embarrassment. Acting early matters more than trying to undo the damage later. If you want to hear Vivian tell this story in her own words and understand how fast these scams unfold, listen to our full conversation on the “Beyond Connected” podcast.

If a deepfake video showed up on your parent’s phone tonight, would you know before everything was gone? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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